Author: Parameciumcaudatum

So many obstacles are getting in the way of Donald John Trump facing the consequences of his nefarious conduct. One would be tempted to conclude that there is some hidden puppet master behind the curtain of reality, pulling all the appropriate strings. The Fulton County Appeals Court has postponed the Rico case against Trump and his co-conspirators until further notice.

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) – A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday paused the criminal case accusing Donald Trump of seeking to subvert the 2020 election while it considers the former president’s bid to disqualify lead prosecutor Fani Willis, a court order showed. The order prevents the sprawling case against Trump and 14 co-defendants from moving toward trial while Trump appeals a judge’s ruling allowing Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, to remain on the case. It is another indication that the case, one of four facing Trump as he seeks to unseat President Joe Biden and return to the White House, will not go to trial before the Nov. 5 election. A New York jury last week found Trump guilty of trying to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star, a verdict that Trump has vowed to appeal. The two federal cases against him, for trying to overturn his defeat and mishandling classified documents after leaving office, have also been bogged down by legal challenges. TRUMP Election Interference Case Paused In Georgia During Challenge To Prosecutor By Andrew Goudsward, June 6, 2024.

Many people have some theories regarding this unfolding phenomenon within American society today, and they are as follows:

Donald Trump is going full fascist these days, and gaining the backing of prominent billionaires as he runs for re-election. We need a loud pro-democracy movement in America more than ever. Robert Reich 

To dismantle the threat of fascist politics in the U.S., the people must emerge from denial that it has taken root. Fighting fascism must become a regular topic of conversation in homes, schools, media and everywhere else discussions about the future of the nation take place. So concludes political scientist Anthony DiMaggio in his new book “Rising Fascism in America: It Can Happen Here.” The sub-title refers to Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 dystopian novel, “It Can’t Happen Here.” To be clear, I am not arguing that the United States is a fully consolidated fascist country—equivalent in its political institutions to what existed in Germany and Italy between 1922 and 1945,” writes DiMaggio. “The United States is not a one-party dictatorship. Rather, the concern is with the threat of a rising fascistic movement to the stability of the republic, which is to say that undercurrents, or elements of fascistic politics in America have steadily grown more extreme in recent decades, particularly in recent years under Trump’s presidency.” Trump “…rose to power because of the longstanding cultivation of racist, authoritarian, and xenophobic beliefs on the American right in the years and decades running-up to his election in 2016,” writes DiMaggio. FASCISM IN AMERICA: It’s Happening Here By Lori Friedman June 8 2022

Twenty-five years ago, when Pat Robertson and other radio and televangelists first spoke of the United States becoming a Christian nation that would build a global Christian empire, it was hard to take such hyperbolic rhetoric seriously. Today, such language no longer sounds like hyperbole but poses, instead, a very real threat to our freedom and our way of life. In American Fascists, Chris Hedges, veteran journalist and author of the National Book Award finalist War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, challenges the Christian Right’s religious legitimacy and argues that at its core it is a mass movement fueled by unbridled nationalism and a hatred for the open society. Hedges, who grew up in rural parishes in upstate New York where his father was a Presbyterian pastor, attacks the movement as someone steeped in the Bible and Christian tradition. He points to the hundreds of senators and members of Congress who have earned between 80 and 100 percent approval ratings from the three most influential Christian Right advocacy groups as one of many signs that the movement is burrowing deep inside the American government to subvert it. The movement’s call to dismantle the wall between church and state and the intolerance it preaches against all who do not conform to its warped vision of a Christian America are pumped into tens of millions of American homes through Christian television and radio stations, as well as reinforced through the curriculum in Christian schools. The movement’s yearning for apocalyptic violence and its assault on dispassionate, intellectual inquiry are laying the foundation for a new, frightening America. AMERICAN FASCISTS: The Christian Right And The War On America By Chris Hedges January 9, 2007

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Most right-thinking people were hoping for a swift resolution of the cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith after all the grand jury investigations were completed and the required charges were filed. Unfortunately, such has definitely not been the situation. The case in Florida has been virtually stalled, consequent upon Judge Cannon’s bloody-mindedness and blatant foot-dragging.

1. Judge Aileen Cannon has wasted several months deliberating over questions of attorney-client privilege and grand jury secrecy.
2. She has also been reluctant to rule on issues before her.
3. US District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday (September 8, 2022) selected federal senior Judge Raymond Dearie to serve as special master to review the materials seized in the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence and resort.
   Cannon also rejected the Justice Department’s request to revive its criminal investigation into classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago. CNN POLITICS: Published Thursday, September 15, 2022.
5. On Dec. 1, in a unanimous per curiam decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled to reverse an order issued by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to appoint a special master to oversee the review of classified documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-lago residence on Aug. 8.
   The 11th Circuit found that Cannon “improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction” in hearing the case and that the entire proceeding should be dismissed. Notably, the court also found that regardless of the status of a document in question (personal or presidential), the government maintains the authority to seize it under a warrant supported by probable cause.
   The panel wrote, “The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant. Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so.” LAWFARE: Katherine Pompilio
   Thursday, December 1, 2022, 6:18 PM

One sincerely hopes that Judge Aileen Cannon is not just another MAGA sympathizer who has been strategically positioned to frustrate the operation of law just to facilitate the exoneration of Donald Trump under his many crimes.

Other federal cases are pending against Donald Trump, but the Supreme Court of Judicature seems to be doing everything it can to prevent such cases from going to trial before the November 2024 election. What I find to be especially nauseating is the fact that they are contemplating giving the former president some form of immunity against Federal prosecution for the crimes he has committed.

Former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference trial in Washington, D.C., will no longer begin on March 4, Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in a court order released Friday. It is unclear when exactly the trial will now start, but the case has been on pause for nearly two months — Trump’s team requested a stay on Dec. 7, and it was granted on Dec. 13 — which would mean the soonest the trial could start would likely be late April or early May. A start date in early May could easily mean the trial won’t conclude until after the Republican National Convention, scheduled for July 15-18 in Milwaukee. NBC NEWS: By Megan Lebowitz, Lisa Rubin, Laura Jarrett and Ryan J. Reilly Feb. 2, 2024, 10:04 PM GMT+1 / Updated Feb. 3, 2024, 12:19 AM

The fact that Trump was even convicted on all 34 felony counts brought against him by Manhattan Prosecutor Alvin Bragg now seems providential. All federal charges brought against Donald J. Trump are now hanging in limbo because of the posture of an obviously corrupt Supreme Court of Judicature.

“For six weeks, the former most powerful man in the world sat like an ordinary citizen in a drab courtroom, a criminal defendant being judged by a jury of his peers. Donald Trump glowered, complained, bloviated, and snoozed during a trial both historic and tawdry over whether he falsified business records to cover up hush money paid to a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election. On May 30, the 12 jurors delivered their unanimous verdict: guilty on all 34 counts. To all his norm-shattering iterations—flashy businessman, name-brand showman, novice President—Trump has added a new title: felon. The trial that led to the first-ever criminal conviction of a former U.S. President was often marked by its unseemliness. A motley cast of characters—the former porn star, the tabloid publisher, the crying press aide, the disgraced former fixer—recounted episodes of spankings, clandestine meetings, and payoffs, all intended to establish that Trump had criminally conspired to hide information about his behavior that could have affected voters’ choices. But while the crimes may feel insubstantial, the stakes for American democracy are far weightier. Trump once again threatens to upend the precepts of the U.S. political system and test the foundations of the country’s rule of law.” TIME: BY TESSA BERENSON ROGERS, BRIAN BENNETT AND ERIC CORTELLESSA UPDATED: MAY 30, 2024 5:23 PM EDT | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: MAY 30, 2024 5:10 PM EDT

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Even though we live in the twenty-first century, we have the luxury of re-examining the past so that, if possible, we can benefit from sacred and secular ancient history. As we are instructed in the writings of Solomon, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us.  There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.” Ecclesiastes 1: 9-11 (NKJV).

According to scripture, Princess Tamar was one of King David’s daughters. She was very beautiful. Another one of his children was Prince Amnon. He had his own psychological problems, but he was also infatuated with his half-sister and convinced himself that he really loved her. Ultimately, he became love-sick, and, with the help of one of his treacherous cousins, he formulated a plan to ensnare and seduce his half-sister. The plot was extraordinarily successful, but Amnon raped his sister, Princess Tamar, and then drove her out of his living quarters.

“If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days.” Deuteronomy 22: 28-29 (NKJV).

Her rapist, under divine law, should have paid a fine and would have been required to marry her. Since Israel was a Theocracy. However, Amnon was a prince, the son of the reigning king of Israel, and the application of the law of justice was rendered null and void. For some time, nothing happened to the manic-depressive psychotic male royal.

Tamar’s brother was Prince Absolom, another royal who desperately needed psychiatric intervention. When he heard about the crime that had been perpetrated against his sister, he calmly advised her not to worry about it. But even then, he was formulating a plan of great, sweet, and swift revenge for the atrocity that had been perpetrated against his sister. He decided to throw a party to which he invited all the princes and even extended a special invitation to his father, King David. Although the head of the family declined the offer, he consented to the attendance of all his sons. Everything seemed to be going well until a report reached the court alleging that all the princes had been executed upon Absolom’s order.

Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Watch now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant.” So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled. And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left!” So the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, “Let not my lord suppose they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead. For by the command of Absalom, this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.” 2 Samuel 13: 28-32 (NKJV). 

This happens when the mitigative measures specified in the law are not swiftly applied to the various misdemeanor and criminal offenses that occur frequently in our society. The victims or their relatives become aggrieved. Consequently, they take the law into their own hands by resorting to what can only be viewed as extreme and desperate measures. If Israel’s monarch had acted wisely by taking immediate control of the situation and effected the divine remedy proscribed for such tragedies, he would have saved Amnon’s life. Today, the Maga maniacs on the Supreme Court are deeply desirous of giving Donald Trump a break from the codified consequences specified by the law for malefactors. Unfortunately, they are blind to the consequences of their ill-advised course of action. One of the reasons for the occurrence of The French Revolution and there were many. Was the great social inequality in France and the numerous privileged untouchables in French society. They were among the royalty, clergy, and other forms of the French aristocracy. Such people operated above the law and were never held accountable for their crimes.

The best way to protect Donald Trump and others in his category is to permit the law to take its blind course. Otherwise, some violent vigilante will pursue the course of blind revenge and try to kill him for the deaths he caused on January 6, 2021

Christ’s Second Coming was predicted by angelic messengers:

“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:9-11 (NKJV).

A major part of Christ’s mission in Heaven is to prepare a place for His people:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” John 14:1-4 (NKJV).

Paul The Apostle confidently clung to the hope of Christ’s return:

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14 (NKJV)

The Apostle Peter Earnestly believed and taught the reality of Christ’s Imminent Return:

“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.” 2 Peter 1:16 (NKJV)

Some Christians will be unprepared for the second Advent because of unfaithfulness:

“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24: 48-51 (NKJV)

Satan works untiringly to blind men to the wonderful gospel of Christ:

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4 (NKJV).

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There are several multi-billionaires in America today. The majority of them lead quiet lives and say very little about anything. Most of all, they try to stay away from controversial issues. Typical examples of people in this category are Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, et cetera. The biggest shareholder in The Tesla Corporation, Mr. Elon Musk, is not only a multi-billionaire but also the richest man in the world. The super-rich are usually very good at burying themselves in anonymity, unlike Mr. Musk, who seems to embrace every opportunity to be in front of the cameras or behind a microphone. He has commented on many subjects, including getting trapped miners out of a flooded well, free speech, the American dollar, and economics. In the area of free speech, he claims to have been misunderstood since many critics (minorities and Jews) and Europeans are convinced that he has been actively promoting hate speech. Most recently, Mr. Musk has waded into the waters of New Testament Theology by commenting on the Rapture. Apparently, he also believes that he is an authority on this subject.

Scripture does not teach about a secret rapture for any group of Christians. What the Bible plainly talks about is the second coming of Christ. When He returns, it will be for a special group of people who have spent their lives preparing to meet Him in peace. This will be a publicly witnessed and spectacular event that the world will see. “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7 (NKJV).

Jesus warned His disciples against believing reports that He had appeared in some secret place. “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24: 26-27 (NKJV).

Jesus will return to this planet at a time when human wickedness is chronic and widespread: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37-39 (NKJ).

The world will be unprepared for the second coming of Christ: “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” 1Thessalonians 5:1-6 (NKJV)

The world will not throw a welcoming party for the Saviour when He returns. “Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:14-17 (NKJV).

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The selection and sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb is a prophecy that refers to the death of the Messiah not only because the lamb was selected four days before its vicarious death but also because Jesus’ ministry commenced four years before His execution. It’s a well-established biblical principle that, prophetically, one day represents one year. “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.” Ezekiel 4:4-6 (NKJV). Accordingly, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Christ was pre-destined to die for the human race at the time at which He was crucified, and nothing that anyone did could prevent that gruesome reality from being fulfilled.

Every good movie has at least three or four subplots besides the main plot, and the story of Jesus’s death is no exception. Let us not forget that Judas Iscariot was an ambitious, self-seeking, avaricious money-lover. Jesus wasn’t moving fast enough towards Judas’s goals of worldly grandeur, wealth, and power. Therefore, this false disciple decided to try to force the hand of the Master by betraying Him to the Chief Priests. It’s possible that he really didn’t want to get the Saviour killed. All Judas wanted was a quick buck, and maybe during the process, he hoped Jesus would assume a more authoritative and kingly role. The disciple who denied Him three times, Peter, was unwilling to embrace the words of the Saviour when He asserted,  “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV).

The Master’s reference to Satan was by no means coincidental. Because the Evil One not only followed Him but, from time to time, attempted to work through His own disciples to influence the decisions of the world’s Redeemer. In fact, Jesus was well acquainted with the activities of the Prince of darkness: “And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.” Luke 8:26-29 (NKJV). In fact, there were demons among the mob assembled before Pilate’s judgment seat, and they also shouted, “Crucify Him.” It was always Lucifer’s objective to kill God, and when Christ became human, Satan felt that his long-cherished ambition would at last be realized.

Not only are great prophecies made in scripture, but What is also absolutely amazing is that the very people who facilitate the fulfillment of such predictions have all the characteristics necessary to make such omens a reality. For example, if Pilate, the Roman Governor, had some moral fiber and greater strength of character, he would never have consented to the death of Christ. If Joseph Caiaphas was not the High Priest, then Jesus would not have been sentenced to death. This official of the Jewish Church was not only spiritually blind and ignorant of scripture and the prophecies but was also profoundly diabolical. Furthermore, he was also naive enough to think that if he could engineer the death of Jesus, then he and the Jewish priesthood would be secure. Are we to believe that the occupation of these bad actors’ various positions of trust is nothing more than blind coincidence? Was it just an accident that Pontious Pilate, Joseph Caiphas, and Judas Iscariot played the roles that they played at the time that they played them? Let us contemplate one of the warnings of sacred writ:

“Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass,” Isaiah 37:26

The priests had good reasons to hate The Messiah. He cleansed the temple twice and drove them out because He felt they were profaning the sacred courts. Large crowds followed Him wherever He went, and not only did He heal every kind of disease or physical malady. He also raised Lazarus, who had been dead for several days. Furthermore, they felt existentially threatened by Him since, in various parables, he warned that He would set up a kingdom in which they would have no place. Realistically and practically, such a kingdom was merely futuristic and would not be established until at least two millennia had passed. But being spiritually blind and rooted in the here and now, the leaders of Judaism felt that they would all be annihilated, and they determined in their hearts that it would either be Him or them. Ultimately, the Christian faith was established, and Judaism still exists today. Their irrational fears, however, propelled them all to conspire together to kill Christ. Let us not forget the words of Jesus though: “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:17-18 (NKJV)

Parasitism is a state of affairs hated by everyone because parasites take as much as possible and then give nothing in return. The impenitent wicked of all ages are just parasites, but we are consoled that The Lord has made all for Himself, even the wicked, for the day of doom.” Proverbs 16:4. (NKJV). Since Noah had a symbiotic relationship with The Creator, he was spared the deluge that destroyed all the parasites in the antediluvian world. He was also able to celebrate his deliverance from destruction after the flood. “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Genesis 8:20-22.

The Altar represents Noah himself, just as it represents God’s people in every age. The burnt offerings symbolized the sinless life of the coming Redeemer, who would ultimately die to save all repentant sinners of Adam’s progeny. All believers will be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, just as the blood of the burnt offering was sprinkled upon the altar’s sides. They will also be covered with his life just as the carcass of the burnt offering covers the top of the Altar. Thus, we are cleansed by His blood and covered with His life. The righteous Noah found refuge in the world’s Saviour while he lived in corrupt antediluvial because he loved The Lord. As Paul the Apostle observed, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.

Shortly before the Exodus, the children of Israel were told:

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now, you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.

 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.  Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:1-13

This is actually a prophecy regarding Jesus’s substitutionary death. The firstborn of the Egyptians was struck because they were divinely used to represent The Saviour. Two great principles are being portrayed here. First, there had to be death for the sinner to attain life. The Egyptian firstborn died because the nation rejected the Author of life. Who also happens to be the Firstborn of all Creation. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created … He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17-18. All those who sprinkled the lamb’s blood upon the lintel and doorposts of their homes were spared from death. Because the blood represents the blood of Jesus. In whom alone is life original, life unborrowed, life underived. (E.G.W.). To experience these benefits, however, the Hebrews had to do as they were told and trust The Lord Almighty.

The lamb was selected on the 10th day of the year’s first month (NISAN) because 10 represents humanity in scripture. Jesus would one day come and die for the human race, but only those who accepted Him as their personal Saviour from sin would benefit from His sacrifice. The lamb was slaughtered at twilight on the 14th day of the month because many centuries later, the real Pascal lamb (Christ) would be crucified at twilight on Friday, April 3, AD 33, approximately four years after the commencement of His earthly ministry in Judea. Just a few hours before the commencement of the annual Passover and the seventh day Sabbath. Most bible scholars accepting the chronology of Jesus typically set the date for the start of His Ministry at around AD 27 to 29 and the end in the range of AD 30-33.

The prophecy says: “Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.” And that is exactly what happened: “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”They said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” Matthew 27: 20-23 (NKJV).

(TO BE CONTINUED)

This Plan of Salvation, inaugurated by the divine Government, doesn’t jump out of scripture at every casual reader, but it’s a central theme throughout sacred writ. It was by this same plan that, although over time:

1. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth
2. And that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 
3. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth,
4. And He was grieved in His heart. 
5. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.
6. Both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air,
7. For I am sorry that I have made them.” 
8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:5-8 (NKJV).
9. The coming death of the sinless Christ upon Calvary’s Tree made it possible for the righteous Noah to benefit from God’s wonderful grace.
10. Other important characteristics of the patriarch Noah were “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9-10 NKJV.
11. In other words, repentance and a sanctified life of obedience to God’s sacred law are essential for salvation. The wonderful news, however, is that we don’t do this alone
12. The promise is, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12 (NKJV).  
14. What could God do with the other travelers/pilgrims in the antediluvian age? They were idolaters, demon worshippers, antinomians, enemies of God, and haters of His people. Anarchy is nothing new. The arch-deceiver tried it in Heaven but was forcefully evicted along with his sympathizers. The Lord Almighty is a God of order. By rejecting The Creator’s Law and government, the citizens of Noah’s day who refused to follow his example chose death. Thus it was then, and thus shall it ever be. The eight billion people who populate our modern 21st Century world will face the same decision sooner or later. As The Lord Almighty has warned, “The land is Mine, for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.” Leviticus 25:23. Every species of sin is just another form of rebellion against the Author of Life. What the bible clearly teaches repeatedly is that all sin leads to eternal death. Because sin is a source of intense pain to God. “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. And they shall know I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.” Ezekiel 6:9 (NKJV)
15. So it was. The flood was sent because God’s judgments against sin are inevitable. This is an indisputable fact. “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Ezekiel 18:20
16. “Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.  And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.  All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.” 
17. The Almighty gained absolutely nothing from the evil doers of Antedeluvia: no service, no love, no obedience, no worship, no reverence, and no praise. They were just a source of continual pain and discomfort! Why, therefore, would He continue to maintain a system that kept them alive? On the contrary, however, “Noah was a source of continual pleasure to The Lord.”
18. (TO BE CONTINUED) 

There are many interpretations viz a viz the occurrence of this event. Many preachers portray this historical fact as the tragic consequence of the wicked plottings of evil men. After this kind of presentation, though, how do they reconcile their sermon with the other teaching in Christian Theology, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8 (NKJV). The prince of darkness is the illegitimate ruler of the world who yearns to be worshipped, contrary to God’s plan. Still, throughout history, he has worked through world empires to accomplish his objective. Even before Adam and Eve were made and long before the Garden of Eden was established, God knew that man would sin, and provision was made in God’s great plan for the Redemption of the human race. This salvation plan would incorporate the lamb’s death (God’s Son). Because even before Creation Week began. The Godhead knew that sin would uprear its ugly head in this part of God’s universe. Accordingly, provision was made to bring Adam and Eve back into harmony with The Creator. While rescuing all who would repent of their sins, love, and obey the Lord Almighty.

There are many prophecies in Scripture alluding to or pointing to the work of The Messiah as the salvific factor that would ultimately frustrate the insidiously destructive plans of the evil one. Immediately after man was seduced into sin, The Lord Almighty warned the serpent, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NKJV). This woman is recognized by most Bible scholars as God’s Church. Against whom Satan’s demonic power has been unleashed and viciously exercised down through the ages. As we read in scripture,

“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.  She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.” Revelation 12:1-5 (NKJV). Lucifer’s efforts to defeat the plan of salvation were relentless as the angel warned Joseph,

 “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” Matthew 2:13-16 (NKJV) 

From the very dawn of human history, there were sacrificial offerings, Adam’s younger son Abel accepted the divine plan and brought animals to the altar. Wherein the shedding of the blood of an appropriate clean animal. Represented the worshipper’s acceptance of the coming death of the world’s Redeemer as propitiation for his own sins. His brother Cain saw no light in such an arrangement and instead brought his ground provisions, which God rejected. Because according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22 (NKJV)

With Cain’s rebellion and the murder of his brother Abel, Satan cherished the idea of having an entire planet of recalcitrants to war against Heaven. As time progressed, however, it became obvious that two classes of people would populate the earth. Those who served and obeyed God and those who wouldn’t. All who brought themselves under the jurisdiction and supervision of the divine government were referred to as the “Sons of God.” As we are instructed in scripture, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14 (NKJV). The patriarch Enoch is cited in the Book of Genesis as one of God’s righteous servants. “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Genesis 5:24. The sacrificial system instituted by The Lord immediately after Adam sinned, and which enabled Him to clothe them in animal skins after they lost their original raiment of light, was central to all worship. Because it kept the minds of God’s servants focused on the future arrival of the coming Redeemer.

(TO BE CONTINUED) 

“Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord. And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling.  Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.” 1 Samuel 2: 12-14. (NKJV).

How can priests not know The Lord when their job is to represent Him before the people daily. They didn’t know Him because they deceived themselves into thinking they were better off being ignorant of Him. This posture was convenient because they wanted nothing to do with rules. But such an attitude is contrary to the brutal facts of reality. Salvation can only be fully realized and experienced by faithfully following the rules the Lord has proscribed for us. Certain offerings were specified to be eaten by the worshipper and the priest. One such offering was the Fellowship/Peace Offering. This represented the fellowship and peace with God experienced by the worshipper after being cleansed from his sin and having experienced the joy of forgiveness. But how these disorganized Schizophrenics abused their privileges and responsibilities. Dishonored The Lord Almighty and caused the meaning of these offerings to be misrepresented and obscured.

Then the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.  For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 1 Samuel 3:11-14.

Unless Eli, The High Priest, was suffering from a most severe case of Senile Dementia with Depression, it is difficult to see just how he could have neglected the solemn responsibility of having his two sons beheaded because of their gross irreverence, impiety, and immorality. He turned a blind eye to the unacceptable state of affairs that existed and thus dishonored The Lord. His duty was to straighten things out before the people so that the brilliant light of the plan of salvation would continue to shine in unadulterated splendor. Instead, he neglected his solemn duty and resigned himself to doing nothing. But as many of my clerical friends often reminded me, “Failure to make a decision is a decision.”

The Ark of The Covenant was captured by the Philistines in c. 1024 BC, when Eli, the High priest, was the judge of Israel. On that very same day, Hophni and Phineas were killed, and Eli died when He fell backward from his chair. The two brothers had a long history of boundary violations. Their father, Eli, failed to deal with them appropriately, which was another gross violation of the rules. The Lord warned the boy Samuel (who was already a prophet even at his tender age) of coming judgments upon Eli’s house. The Ark remained in the possession of the Philistines for seven months. The Philistines were eager to return this sacred furnishing (The Ark of The Covenant) to Israel. While in Philistine territory, many calamities fell upon the nation.

“For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us.” Isaiah 33:22 (NKJV)

There were rules and boundaries in Old Testament times. Those standards were strictly enforced by divine power and harsh judgments when necessary. Because God does not change, why should we be seduced into thinking that rules and boundaries do not apply to us in these New Testament times? Wasn’t it The Master Himself who asserted

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5: 17-20 (NKJV)